New Battleships

[Astro14]

The concept has been in the works for a while. One commentator I read said that with the retirement of the 70s era Ticonderoga class of missile cruisers coming up, the Navy is going to lose a big chunk of the surface fleet's vertically launched missile capacity. This new class of "battleships" would replace the lost missile launch platforms plus do a lot more... But it's all vaporware at this point and not all of the technology is even ready for some of the proposed systems.

Agreed - the Tico class cruisers are incredible ships, but they’re aging out - fatigue cracks, etc. - so, it’s time for a new class of cruisers.

A Tico has a similar number of MK-41 VLS launch tubes, about 120, as this class, but this class would have the modern, electric, architecture to support future growth in new technology weapons.

Can’t really retrofit that to a Tico, it needs more engineering space devoted to electric generation, and it’s not worth doing when the ship itself is getting hard to maintain.

Time for new ships.

 

[Astro14]

So, how will that work out. for all? It's a big, slow-moving target, vulnerable from Air, Sea, and Under Sea. Itsa bad idea.

Who told you that it is slow and unable to defend itself? Tell me what you think the specifications are for this ship, and how you think war at sea is conducted, from targeting, to launch, to defense, and at what range from the threat you think this ship will be operating.

I’ll wait.

 

[FZ1]

Who told you that it is slow and unable to defend itself? Tell me what you think the specifications are for this ship, and how you think war at sea is conducted, from targeting, to launch, to defense, and at what range from the threat you think this ship will be operating.

I’ll wait.

Saw it on TV. If they can hit a tiny drug boat going 65 mph in the dark, then, they can hit this thing.

 

[SC Maintenance]

FEED/R&D is all engineering - no crazy money gets budgeted until procurement phases start … Some other fiscal period …

The CBO projects shipbuilding costs out to 2054. Hence my comment on the tables.

So if its not in there now, per the PAYGO rule, congress would need to find the revenue or cancel something else and use that money. Of course they often find ways around this rule, but it would become cumbersome to fund shipbuilding with a series of emergency measures that bypass PAYGO?

 

[4wd]

The CBO projects shipbuilding costs out to 2054. Hence my comment on the tables.

So if its not in there now, per the PAYGO rule, congress would need to find the revenue or cancel something else and use that money. Of course they often find ways around this rule, but it would become cumbersome to fund shipbuilding with a series of emergency measures that bypass PAYGO?

It’s not even designed - I have been on $12B projects starting at $20k/day for engineers … Not even visible cost at DoD …
Phelan will figure it out …

 

[Pew]

But we can do that now with all our nuclear attack submarines, of which there are several of the new ones currently under construction apparently?

This one can mount radar though. Probably a pretty big one too from the looks of it. 64 million square miles is a lot of space to cover.

 

[Astro14]

Saw it on TV. If they can hit a tiny drug boat going 65 mph in the dark, then, they can hit this thing.

The drug boat doesn’t have a SPY phased array radar and missiles that can kill an airplane at long range. The current generation of cruiser shot down a satellite in space 17 years ago.

This one will have a better radar and the latest missiles.

When the ship can kill you before you can shoot, that makes killing the ship a great deal more difficult.

 

[FZ1]

For that cost, I'd rather have a few F35 s with bigger motors.

 

[SammyChevelleTypeS3]

What is definitely not good is the fact that the USA continually as of late keeps discovering so much Chinese parts and hardware that has been going into so much of our military equipment (supposed to be not allowed - yet the stories keep getting uncovered) it makes one wonder...... can China one day just switch us OFF!?

 

[Pew]

For that cost, I'd rather have a few F35 s with bigger motors.

LS swap the F35

 

[SC Maintenance]

It’s not even designed - I have been on $12B projects starting at $20k/day for engineers … Not even visible cost at DoD …
Phelan will figure it out …

You seemed to infer in post #110 that they were budgeted. If they are budgeted to be built in the next 30 years they would be in that CBO report.

If there not budgeted, then there not budgeted and congress would need to do so if were ever going to see one. I think that was @y_p_w 's point. So either there currently budgeted or there not?

And yes I am sure there is a slush fund so some R&D can start. But plenty of things are designed and never built?

 

[FZ1]

LS swap the F35

Yep. Just put a tune on those engines and sweep the wings, back, a little more. Good to go.

 

[FZ1]

The drug boat doesn’t have a SPY phased array radar and missiles that can kill an airplane at long range. The current generation of cruiser shot down a satellite in space 17 years ago.

This one will have a better radar and the latest missiles.

When the ship can kill you before you can shoot, that makes killing the ship a great deal more difficult.

Hypersonic.

 

[4wd]

You seemed to infer in post #110 that they were budgeted. If they are budgeted to be built in the next 30 years they would be in that CBO report.

If there not budgeted, then there not budgeted and congress would need to do so if were ever going to see one. I think that was @y_p_w 's point. So either there currently budgeted or there not?

And yes I am sure there is a slush fund so some R&D can start. But plenty of things are designed and never built?

That’s the point - but when people post the DoD has no discretionary money in large budgets - of course they do.
But all project management has gates - we call them PMats for project maturation … (DoD has their own). Start with small planning costs - feasibility - and try to get past the next gate review … (yes, sometimes they don’t reach the next level)
Again, the money starts small and dollar amounts are eventually estimated - but of course as built commissioned are notoriously overspent …

 

[ripcord]

Saw it on TV. If they can hit a tiny drug boat going 65 mph in the dark, then, they can hit this thing.

Trying to get an enemy aircraft anywhere close enough to a US Navy combat group to shoot at it is the definition of a suicide mission. Hypersonic missiles are another story, though.

 

[SC Maintenance]

Trying to get an enemy aircraft anywhere close enough to a US Navy combat group to shoot at it is the definition of a suicide mission. Hypersonic missiles are another story, though.

How about 1000 swarming drones?

 

[john_pifer]

One Nuclear tipped missile or torpedo will obliterate, whatever they call the thang.

You’re showing everyone how little you understand about modern naval warfare.

 

[FZ1]

You’re showing everyone how little you understand about modern naval warfare.

Lol. I do understand that a big, slow moving "Target Ship", is easier to take out than a dozen F35 s for the same cost.

 

[SC Maintenance]

You’re showing everyone how little you understand about modern naval warfare.

I know little about naval warfare, but I do wonder whom we need to be warfaring with. I digress.

Still, in an age of hypersonic weapons and AI managed swarming drones - and seeing what Ukraine - a nation that didn't even have a military 14 years ago, has been able to do with commercial off the shelf tech, feels like building a large ship now is much like building a giant ship of the line in 1859.

 

[Astro14]

Hypersonic.

Yes, it’s equipped with hypersonic weapons.